The Value of Friends

Finally!  Warm weather has arrived; snow covered paths are now brimming with vegetation and bone-freezing, muscle-aching winds are now an unpleasant memory.  Breaking from my self-preserving hibernation, I happily traverse my way to the room above the garage, fondly known as "my studio."

During the "winter incubation," painting projects floated through my mind, filling my spirit.  I anxiously waited for the moment that I could open tubes of paint.  Now, each color beckons me.  Slowly, the choices are made, the paint is squirted on the palette, the medium readied, and I pick up the brush.  Once more, I am free to explore the world beyond the physical.

This year has been unique.  Rather than delving right into the plans that have slowly formed over the long winter, I wrested with new challenges.  For the past two months, I spent my time paintings for others. A much more daunting task.

The first challenge: A friend asked me if I could paint a particular scene for her.  During her stay in Lake Geneva, a photograph had been taken of her and her husband.  It was a special time as they celebrated another year of a long and happy marriage.  The photograph depicted them sitting together on a bench looking out over a lake.  Special time, special meaning, special photo.  Now, she had faith that I could take the photograph and translate it into a painting.  

I felt unequal to the task.  My hands are getting weaker and the amount of time I can spend painting has decreased to only 1 1/2 hours per day.  However, I was determined to try.  The process was slow and difficult.  Painting is a series of problem-solving tasks.  Often, finding frustration instead of satisfaction, I would scrape down the day's work to start all over again the next day.  Always, nap time followed painting time.  Regeneration and incubation.

Finally, a few days before we were to see my friend, I finished the painting.  My loving husband varnished and framed the painting.  When we met, I was too nervous to give her the painting myself.  While I waited, my husband took my friend to our car to give her the painting.  Honestly, I did not think it would live up to her expectations.  You can imagine my humble surprise when she said to me, "I love it.  It is even better than I thought it would be."  Better?  How can that be?  Words of love. Words that give strength. 

The second challenge:  Another friend asked me to paint a scene for her.  Sounds pretty open-ended, right?  The constraint: For Christmas, I had given her a painting of a river in the woods.  The style was more fantasy than realistic because the colors were vivid and there was an abundance of flowers in the woods.  I titled it, "Living Waters."  She loved it.  (She loves me and is very kind-hearted.)  But, in the gift-giving, I had created a dilemma for her.  She and her husband could not agree on where the painting should be hung.  Her solution: commission me to paint a companion piece.

After some serious pondering on what scene would be a good complement, I decided on another scene set in the woods.  Only this time, the central image would a cottage.  It was fun finding a way to use similar techniques and colors without replicating the first painting.  The painting is finished.  The first coat of varnish had been applied.  Soon, I will be giving her the companion piece.  Because it is for her and she is a gentle spirit, I have titled it, "Grandma's Place." To me, it is a loving, safe, cozy haven. 

The unexpected reward has been the joy I encountered in the doing and the giving. The discovery: I may be handicapped physically, but I am not handicapped relationally.  It is life-affirming to have loving friends.